Abatement and strip process chamber in a load lock configuration

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention a load lock chamber including two or more isolated chamber volumes, wherein one chamber volume is configured for processing a substrate and another chamber volume is configured to provide cooling to a substrate. One embodiment of the present invention provides a load lock chamber having at least two isolated chamber volumes formed in a chamber body assembly. The at least two isolated chamber volumes may be vertically stacked. A first chamber volume may be used to process a substrate disposed therein using reactive species. A second chamber volume may include a cooled substrate support.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 61/604,990, filed Feb. 29, 2012, which is herein incorporatedby reference.

BACKGROUND

Field

Embodiment of the present invention generally relates to a method andapparatus for fabricating devices on a semiconductor substrate. Moreparticularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to a load lockchamber including one chamber volume configured for processing asubstrate.

Description of the Related Art

Ultra-large-scale integrated (ULSI) circuits may include more than onemillion electronic devices (e.g., transistors) that are formed on asemiconductor substrate, such as a silicon (Si) substrate, and cooperateto perform various functions within the device. Typically, thetransistors used in the ULSI circuits are complementarymetal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) field effect transistors.

Plasma etching is commonly used in the fabrication of transistors andother electronic devices. During plasma etch processes used to formtransistor structures, one or more layers of a film stack (e.g., layersof silicon, polysilicon, hafnium dioxide (HfO₂), silicon dioxide (SiO₂),metal materials, and the like) are typically exposed to etchantscomprising at least one halogen-containing gas, such as hydrogen bromide(HBr), chlorine (Cl₂), carbon tetrafluoride (CF₄), and the like. Suchprocesses cause a halogen-containing residue to build up on the surfacesof the etched features, etch masks, and elsewhere on the substrate.

When exposed to a non-vacuumed environment (e.g., within factoryinterfaces or substrate storage cassettes) and/or during consecutiveprocessing, gaseous halogens and halogen-based reactants (e.g., bromine(Br₂), chlorine (Cl₂), hydrogen chloride (HCl), and the like) may bereleased from the halogen-containing residues deposited during etching.The released halogens and halogen-based reactants create particlecontamination and cause corrosion of the interior of the processingsystems and factory interfaces, as well as corrosion of exposed portionsof metallic layers on the substrate. Cleaning of the processing systemsand factory interfaces and replacement of the corroded parts is a timeconsuming and expensive procedure.

Several processes have been developed to remove the halogen-containingresidues on the etched substrates. For example, the etched substrate maybe transferred into a remote plasma reactor to expose the etchedsubstrate to a gas mixture that converts the halogen-containing residuesto non-corrosive volatile compounds that may be out-gassed and pumpedout of the reactor. However, such process requires a dedicated processchamber along with an additional step, causing increased tool expense,reduced manufacturing productivity and throughput, resulting in highmanufacturing cost.

Therefore, there is a need for an improved method and apparatus forremoving halogen-containing residues from a substrate.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention generally provide apparatus andmethods for processing a substrate. Particularly, embodiments of thepresent inventions provide a load lock chamber capable of processing asubstrate, for example by exposing the substrate positioned therein to areactive species.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a load lock chamber.The load lock chamber includes a chamber body assembly defining a firstchamber volume and a second chamber volume isolated from one another.The first chamber volume is selectively connectable to two environmentsthrough two openings configured for substrate transferring, and thesecond chamber volume is selectively connected to at least one of thetwo environments. The load lock chamber further includes a cooledsubstrate support assembly disposed in the first chamber volume andconfigured to support and cool a substrate thereon, a heated substratesupport assembly disposed in the second chamber volume and configured tosupport a substrate thereon, and a gas distribution assembly disposed inthe second chamber volume and configured to provide a processing gas tothe second chamber volume for processing the substrate disposed therein.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a dual load lockchamber. The dual load lock chamber includes a first load lock chamberand a second load lock chamber disposed side by side in a unitarychamber body assembly. Each of the first load lock chamber and secondload lock chamber includes a first chamber volume and a second chambervolume isolated from one another. The first chamber volume isselectively connectable to two environments through two openingsconfigured for substrate transferring, and the second chamber volume isselectively connected to at least one of the two processingenvironments. Each load lock chamber also includes a cooled substratesupport assembly disposed in the first chamber volume and configured tosupport and cool a substrate thereon, a heated substrate supportassembly disposed in the second chamber volume and configured to supporta substrate thereon, and a gas distribution assembly disposed in thesecond chamber volume and configured to provide a processing gas to thesecond chamber volume for processing the substrate disposed therein.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention provides a method forremoving halogen-containing residues from a substrate. The methodincludes transferring a substrate to a substrate processing systemthrough a first chamber volume of a load lock chamber coupled to atransfer chamber of the substrate processing system, etching thesubstrate in one or more processing chambers coupled to the transferchamber of the substrate processing chamber with chemistry comprisinghalogen, removing halogen-containing residues from the etched substratein a second chamber volume of the load lock chamber, and cooling asubstrate in a cooled substrate support assembly of the load lockchamber after removing the halogen-containing residue.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the presentinvention can be understood in detail, a more particular description ofthe invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference toembodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Itis to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate onlytypical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to otherequally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a load lock chamber according toone embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the load lock chamber of FIG. 1in a different status than in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a load lock chamber according toanother embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of a load lock chamber according toanother embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5A is a schematic sectional view of the load lock chamber of FIG. 4showing a lift assembly.

FIG. 5B is a schematic perspective view of a lift assembly according toone embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of a twin load lock chamberconfiguration according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a cluster tool system including load lockchambers according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for processing asubstrate according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for processing asubstrate according to another embodiment of the present invention.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have beenused, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common tothe figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in oneembodiment may be beneficially utilized on other embodiments withoutspecific recitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide apparatus and methods forfabricating devices on a semiconductor substrate. More particularly,embodiments of the present invention provide a load lock chamberincluding two or more isolated chamber volumes, wherein one chambervolume is configured for processing a substrate and another chambervolume is configured to provide cooling to a substrate.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a load lock chamberhaving at least two isolated chamber volumes formed in a chamber bodyassembly. The at least two isolated chamber volumes may be verticallystacked. The two chamber volumes are independently operable to increasethroughput. A first chamber volume may be used to process a substratedisposed therein using reactive species, for example removing halogenresidual from the substrate or removing photoresist from the substrate.A second chamber volume has two openings for substrate exchange betweenadjoining environments, such as an ambient environment of a factoryinterface and a vacuum environment of a transfer chamber. In oneembodiment, a cooled substrate support may be disposed in the secondchamber volume. The cooled substrate support allows the processedsubstrates to be cooled down before exiting the vacuum environment,therefore, preventing undesirable reactions, such as silicon oxidation,which can result by exposing a warm substrate to the ambient atmosphere.In one embodiment, a substrate supporting shelf may be disposed in thesecond chamber volume to receive an additional substrate in the secondchamber volume so that incoming and outgoing substrates may haveseparate slots to reduce cross contamination and improve throughput. Byincluding a chamber volume for processing substrates in a load lockchamber, additional locations become available in a processing system toaccommodate additional processing chambers, thus increasing throughputwithout increasing footprint of the processing system. Additionally,using a cooled substrate support in a load lock chamber improves processquality by reduce undesirable reactions when processed substrate areexposed to atmosphere.

Another embodiment of the present invention includes a load lock chamberhaving three chamber volumes. A third chamber volume may be stackedtogether between the first chamber volume for processing a substrate andthe second chamber volume with the cooled substrate support. Similar tothe second chamber volume, the third chamber volume has two openings forsubstrate exchange between adjoining isolated environments, such as anambient environment of a factory interface and a vacuum environment of atransfer chamber. For example, the third chamber volume may be used totransfer incoming substrates from the factory interface to the transferchamber while the second chamber volume may be used to transfer outgoingsubstrates from the transfer chamber to the factory interface. Becausethe incoming and outgoing substrates do not share the same chambervolume, potential for cross contamination is substantially eliminated.Furthermore, using separate chamber volumes for incoming and outgoingsubstrates also provides flexibility for the system.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a load lock chamber 100according to one embodiment of the present invention. The load lockchamber 100 has a chamber body assembly 110 defines three chambervolumes 140, 120 and 130. The three chamber volumes 140, 120, and 130are vertically stacked together and are isolated from one another. Thechamber volumes 130 and 140 are configured for transferring a substrate104, and the chamber volume 120 is configured for processing a substrate104.

In one embodiment, the chamber body assembly 110 includes a sidewall 111and a sidewall 112. The sidewall 111 and the sidewall 112 face oppositedirections to interface with two environments. The sidewall 111 may beadapted to connect to an ambient environment, such as present in afactory interface, while side wall 112 may be adapted to connect to avacuum environment, such as a vacuum environment present in a transferchamber. The load lock chamber 100 may be used to exchange substratesbetween the two environments connected to the sidewalls 111, 112. Thechamber body assembly 110 may further include a chamber lid 116, achamber bottom 115 and interior walls 113, 114. The interior walls 113,114 divide the interior of the load lock chamber 100 into the threechamber volumes 120, 130, and 140. The chamber volumes 130, 140 functionas load locks for substrate exchange and the chamber volume 120 isconfigured for processing a substrate.

The chamber volume 120 is defined between the sidewalls 111, 112, thechamber lid 116 and the interior wall 113. An opening 121 is formedthrough the sidewall 112 to allow a substrate to be transferred into andout of the chamber volume 120. A slit valve 122 is disposed toselectively seal the opening 121. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, thechamber volume 120 only has one opening 121 for substrate exchange,therefore, the chamber volume 120 cannot function as a load lock toexchange substrates between two environments. During operation, thechamber volume 120 may be selected connected to a vacuum processingenvironment via the opening 121. Optionally, an additional substrateexchange opening may be formed through the sidewall 111 to enablesubstrate exchange between the chamber volume 120 and the environment ofthe factory interface.

A heated substrate support assembly 125 is disposed in the chambervolume 120 for supporting and heating the substrate 104. According toone embodiment, the heated substrate support assembly 125 includesembedded heating elements 127. A thermal insulator 126 may be disposedbetween the heated substrate assembly 125 and the interior wall 113 toreduce thermal exchange between the chamber body assembly 110 and theheated substrate support assembly 125. A gas distribution showerhead 123is disposed in the chamber volume 120 over the heated substrate supportassembly 125. A lift hoop assembly 124 is movably disposed around theheated substrate support assembly 125 and the gas distributionshowerhead 123. The lift hoop assembly 124 is configured to confine aprocessing environment within immediately around the substrate supportassembly 125 in the chamber volume 120, as well as being operable toload and unload substrates from the heated substrate support assembly125 and substrate transfer robots (not shown).

Gas panels 101, 102 may be used to provide processing gases to thechamber volume 120 through the gas distributing showerhead 123. In oneembodiment, a remote plasma source 103 may be disposed between the gasplanes 101, 102 and the gas distribution showerhead 123 so thatdissociated species of processing gases may be supplied to the chambervolume 120. Alternatively, a RF power source may be applied between thegas distribution showerhead 123 and the heated substrate supportassembly 125 to generate plasma within the chamber volume 120. In oneembodiment, the gas panel 101 may provide processing gases for anabatement process to remove residual material after etching and the gaspanel 102 may provide processing gases for an ashing process to removephotoresist.

A more detailed description of apparatus and methods for processing asubstrate in a chamber volume of a load lock chamber can be found inU.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/448,027, filed Mar. 1,2011, entitled “Abatement and Strip process Chamber in a Dual LoadlockConfiguration.

The chamber volume 130 is defined by the interior walls 113, 114, andthe sidewalls 111, 112. The chamber volume 130 is vertically stackedwithin the chamber body assembly 110 between the chamber volume 120 andchamber volume 140. Opening 131, 132 are formed through the sidewalls112, 111 to allow substrate exchange between the chamber volume 130 andtwo environments outside the chamber body assembly 110. A slit valve 133is disposed to selectively seal the opening 131. A slit valve 134 isdisposed to selectively seal the opening 132. The chamber volume 130 mayinclude a substrate support assembly having at least one substrate slotfor holding or storing substrate thereon. In one embodiment, the chambervolume 130 includes three or more substrate supporting pins 135 forsupporting a substrate 104 thereon. The three or more substratesupporting pins 135 may be fixedly positioned in the chamber volume 130.Other suitable substrate support, such as a shelf, an edge ring,brackets, may be positioned in the chamber volume 130 for supporting asubstrate thereon.

The chamber volume 130 may serve as a load lock chamber and be used toexchange substrates between the two environments connected to thesidewalls 111, 112. The chamber volume 130 may also be used to storedummy substrates for testing or chamber cleaning.

The chamber volume 140 is defined by the sidewalls 111, 112, interiorwall 114 and the chamber bottom 115. The chamber volume 140 ispositioned below the chamber volume 130. Opening 141, 142 are formedthrough the sidewalls 112, 111 to allow substrate exchange between thechamber volume 140 and two environments outside the chamber bodyassembly 110. A slit valve 143 selectively seals the opening 141. A slitvalve 144 selectively seals the opening 142. The slit valve 133 isdesigned not to obstruct the opening 141 while the slit valve 133 ispositioned to seal the opening 131, as shown in FIG. 1. The openings131, 141 may be opened and closed independently without affect oneanother. In one embodiment, the slit valve 133 may include a doorcoupled to an actuator through two poles positioned clear from theopening 141. The door of the slit valve 133 passes in front of theopening 141 during opening and closing. However, the opening 141 isunobstructed when the slit valve 133 is in closed position and theopened position. It should be noted, other suitable designs may be usedto enable independent operation of the slit valves 133, 143.

A cooled substrate support assembly 152 is configured to support andcool a substrate 104 within the chamber volume 140. The cooled substratesupport assembly 152 includes a disk shaped body 145 having a substratesupporting surface 147. A plurality of cooling channels 146 are formedin the disk shaped body 145. A cooling fluid source 148 may be coupledto the cooling channels 146 to control the temperature of the diskshaped body 145 and the substrate 104 disposed thereon. Lifting pins 149may be used to lift the substrate 104 from the disk shaped body 145. Thelifting pins 149 may be attached to a plate 150 coupled to an actuator151.

The chamber volume 140 may serve as a load lock chamber and be used toexchange substrates between the two environments connected to thesidewalls 111, 112. The cooled substrate support assembly 152 providescooling to the substrate 104 while passing the chamber volume 140.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the load lock chamber 100wherein each chamber volume 120, 130, 140 are in a different state thanas shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, the chamber volume 120 is in substrateloading/unloading state with the lift hoop assembly 124 raised and theslit valve 122 opened. In FIG. 2, the chamber volume 120 is inprocessing position with the lift hoop assembly 124 lowered to confine aprocessing volume around the substrate 104 and the slit valve 122closed. In FIG. 1, the chamber volume 130 is open to the ambientenvironment connected to the sidewall 111 with the slit valve 134 beingopen and the slit valve 133 being closed. In FIG. 2, the chamber volume130 is open to the vacuum environment connected to the sidewall 112 withthe slit valve 134 being closed and slit valve 133 being open. In FIG.1, the chamber volume 140 is open to the vacuum environment connected tothe sidewall 112 with the slit value 143 being closed and the slit valve144 being closed. The substrate 104 rests on the cooled substratesupport assembly 152 to be cooled. In FIG. 2, the chamber volume 140 isopen to the ambient environment connected to the sidewall 111 with theslit valve 143 being open and the slit valve 144 being closed. The liftpins 149 are raised to position the substrate 104 in a loading/unloadingposition aligned with the opening 141.

The load lock chamber 100 may be used in a substrate processing systemto provide an interface between a processing environment and a factoryinterface. Compared to traditional load lock chambers, the load lockchamber 100 may provide several improvements to a substrate processingsystem. First, by having a substrate processing chamber volume stackedover chamber volumes for load lock, the load lock chamber 100 freesspace to allow an additional processing tool to be coupled to the vacuumtransfer chamber, thus improves system throughput without increasing thefoot print of the processing system. By dedicating the chamber volume120 to processing, the need to pump the chamber volume 120 fromatmosphere to vacuum state is eliminated, therefore improving processingthroughput. Second, by having two chamber volumes as load lock, the loadlock chamber 100 may provide separate paths for incoming and outgoingsubstrates, thus, substantially avoiding cross contamination betweenpre-processed and post-processed substrates. Third, by providing in acooled substrate support assembly in a chamber volume, the load lockchamber 100 may provide cooling to a processed substrate before theprocessed substrate exits the processing system. The load lock chamber100 reduces undesirable reactions on processed substrates because cooledsubstrates are less likely to react with atmosphere environment afterexiting the processing system.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a load lock chamber 300according to another embodiment of the present invention. The load lockchamber 300 is similar to the load lock chamber 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2except that a chamber body assembly 310 of the load lock chamber 300does not include the chamber volume 130 disposed between the chambervolumes 120 and 140. In the load lock chamber 300, the chamber volume140 may be used as a load lock for both incoming and outgoingsubstrates. Alternatively, the chamber volume 120 may be used as a loadlock using a second opening 323 formed through the sidewall 111 and aslit valve 324 configured to selectively seal the opening 323. Comparedto the load lock chamber 100, the load lock chamber 300 has fewercomponents, therefore, cost less and may be easier to maintain.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of a load lock chamber 400according to another embodiment of the present invention. Similar to theload lock chamber 300, a chamber body assembly 410 of the load lockchamber 400 defines two chamber volumes, a chamber volume 430 positionedbelow the chamber volume 120. The chamber volume 120 may be dedicated tosubstrate processing and may only open to one side of the load lockchamber 400 via the opening 121 as the chamber volume 120 always remainsunder vacuum.

The chamber volume 430 may include a substrate supporting shelf 454disposed above the cooled substrate support assembly 152 and configuredto support a substrate 104 thereon. The chamber volume 430 may be usedto hold one substrate 104 on the substrate supporting shelf 454 and tohold and/or cool another substrate 104 on the cooled substrate supportassembly 152. In one embodiment, the substrate supporting shelf 454 maybe dedicated for incoming substrates and the cooled substrate supportassembly 152 for outgoing substrates, so that as to substantiallyeliminate potential for direct contamination between the incoming andoutgoing substrates. Alternatively, the chamber volume 430 may be usedto transfer two substrates simultaneously.

In one embodiment, the substrate supporting shelf 454 may be movablydisposed over the cooled substrate support assembly 152 to enablesubstrate exchange. As shown in FIG. 4, the substrate supporting shelf454 may include one or more posts 453 extending from a ring 452. Theposts 453 are configured to provide support to a substrate 104. The ring452 may be coupled to a lift assembly 450 to move the one or more posts453 vertically within the chamber volume 430. In one embodiment, thelift assembly 450 may be also coupled to a ring 451 connected to thelift pins 149 for raising a substrate from or lowering a substrate tothe cooled substrate support assembly 152. In one embodiment, the liftassembly 450 may be configured to move the substrate supporting shelf454 and the lift pins 140 simultaneously. When the lift pins 149 raiseto pick up the substrate 104 disposed on the cooled substrate support152, the substrate supporting shelf 454 also moves up to ensure enoughspacing between the substrate 104 on the lift pins 149 and the substratesupporting shelf 454 for loading or unloading.

FIG. 5A is a schematic sectional view of the load lock chamber 400 ofFIG. 4 showing the lift assembly 450 and FIG. 5B is a schematicperspective view of the lift assembly 450. The lift assembly 450 mayinclude a motor 502 coupled to a shaft 504 and configured to rotate theshaft 504. The shaft 504 may have threaded portions 506 and 508 fordriving the substrate supporting shelf 454 and the lift pins 149respectively. A threaded member 510 is coupled to the threaded portion506 so that rotation of the shaft 504 moves the threaded member 510along the shaft 504. A shaft 512 may be fixedly coupled between thethreaded member 510 and the ring 452 to translate the vertical motion ofthe threaded member 510 to the ring 452 and the posts 453. Similarly, athreaded member 514 is coupled to the threaded portion 508 so thatrotation of the shaft 504 moves the threaded member 514 along the shaft504. A shaft 516 may be fixedly coupled between the threaded member 514and the ring 451 to translate the vertical motion of the threaded member514 to the ring 451 and the lift pins 149. In one embodiment, the shafts512, 516 may be concentrically disposed as shown in FIG. 5A.Alternatively, the shafts 512, 516 may be disposed apart from oneanother.

In one embodiment, the threaded portions 506 and 508 may have differentpitches so that the threaded members 510, 514 move at different speeds(and thus distances) when the shaft 504 is rotated by the motor 502. Inone embodiment, pitches of the threaded portions 506 and 508 may be setso that the lift pins 149 moves faster than the substrate supportingshelf 454, thus, the substrate supporting shelf 454 has a smaller rangeof motion than the lift pins 149. By moving the substrate support shelf454 and the lift pins 149 in distances as short as possible, the heightof the chamber volume 430 can be minimized, thereby reducing pumpingtime and requirements. In one embodiment, the lift pins 149 move abouttwice as fast as the substrate supporting shelf 454.

The load lock chamber 400 may provide the chamber volumes 120 dedicatedto processing substrates (i.e., no direct path to ambient environments),while provide cooling and separated paths for incoming and outgoingsubstrates to reduce cross contamination. Therefore, the load lockchamber 400 may be used to increase throughput, reduce contamination,and reduce undesired reactions on hot substrates.

Load lock chambers according to embodiments of the present invention maybe used in pairs to double the productivity. FIG. 6 is a schematicsectional view of a twin load lock chamber 600 configuration accordingto one embodiment of the present invention. The twin load lock chamber600 includes two load lock chambers 100A, 100B disposed side by side ina unitary chamber body assembly 610. As shown in FIG. 6, the two loadlock chambers 100A, 100B may be mirror image of one another. The loadlock chambers 100A, 100B may operate independently from one another orin synchronicity.

The load lock chambers 100A, 100B are similar to the load lock chamber100 of FIG. 1. The load lock chamber 100A includes chamber volumes 120A,130A, 140A and the load lock chamber 100B includes chamber volumes 120B,130B, 140B. The load lock chambers 100A, 100B may share the gas sources101, 102 for processing substrates in the chamber volumes 120A, 120B.Each chamber volume 120A, 120B may be coupled to a vacuum pump 602A,602B through control valves 604A, 604B. The vacuum pumps 602A, 602B areconfigured to maintain a vacuum environment in the chamber volumes 120A,120B. The chamber volumes 130A, 140A, 130B, 140B function as load lockvolumes for substrate exchange. In one embodiment, the chamber volumes130A, 140A, 130B, 140B may share one vacuum pump 606. Control valves608A, 610A, 608B, 610B may be coupled between the vacuum pump 606 andthe chamber volumes 130A, 140A, 130B, 140B to enable independentcontrol.

The load lock chambers according to embodiments of the present inventionmay be used to provide interface between a substrate processing systemand a factory interface in a cluster tool. FIG. 7 is a plan view of acluster tool system 700 including load lock chambers according to oneembodiment of the present invention. The cluster tool system 700includes one or more load lock chambers according to embodiments of thepresent invention. The cluster tool system 700 of FIG. 7 is shownincorporating the twin load lock chamber 600. However, it should benoted that load lock chambers 100, 300 and 400 can also be utilized.

The cluster tool system 700 includes a system controller 744, aplurality of processing chambers 712 and the twin load-lock chamber 600that are coupled to a vacuum substrate transfer chamber 708. In oneembodiment, the transfer chamber 708 may have multiple sides and eachside is configured to connect with a twin processing chamber 712 or thetwin load lock chamber 600. As shown in FIG. 7, three twin processingchambers 712 are coupled to the transfer chamber 708. The twin load lockchamber 600 is coupled to the transfer chamber 708. A factory interface704 is selectively coupled to the transfer chamber 708 by the load lockchambers 100A, 1008 of the twin load lock chamber 600.

The factory interface 704 may include at least one docking station 702and at least one factory interface robot 706 to facilitate transfer ofsubstrates. Each of the load lock chambers 100A, 100B of the twin loadlock chamber 600 have two ports coupled to the factory interface 704 andthree ports coupled to the transfer chamber 708. The load lock chambers100A, 100B are coupled to a pressure control system (not shown) whichpumps down and vents chamber volumes in the load lock chambers 100A,100B to facilitate substrate exchange between the vacuum environment ofthe transfer chamber 708 and the substantially ambient (e.g.,atmospheric) environment of the factory interface 704.

The transfer chamber 708 has a vacuum robot 710 disposed therein fortransferring substrates among the load lock chambers 100A, 1008 and theprocessing chambers 712. In one embodiment, the vacuum robot 710 has twoblades and is capable of simultaneously transferring two substratesamong the load lock chambers 100A, 100B and the processing chambers 712.

In one embodiment, at least one process chambers 712 is an etch chamber.For example, the etch chamber may be a Decoupled Plasma Source (DPS)chamber available from Applied Materials, Inc. The DPS etch chamber usesan inductive source to produce high-density plasma and comprises asource of radio-frequency (RF) power to bias the substrate.Alternatively, at least one of the process chambers 712 may be one of aHART™, E-MAX®, DPS®, DPS II, PRODUCER E, or ENABLER® etch chamber alsoavailable from Applied Materials, Inc. Other etch chambers, includingthose from other manufacturers, may be utilized. The etch chambers mayuse a halogen-containing gas to etch the substrate 924 therein. Examplesof halogen-containing gas include hydrogen bromide (HBr), chlorine(Cl₂), carbon tetrafluoride (CF₄), and the like. After etching thesubstrate 924, halogen-containing residues may be left on the substratesurface.

The halogen-containing residues may be removed by a thermal abatementprocess in at least one of the load lock chambers 100A, 100B. Forexample, a thermal treatment process may be performed in one or both ofthe chamber volumes 120A, 120B of the load lock chambers 100A, 100B.Alternatively or in addition to an abatement process, an ashing processmay be performed in one or both of the chamber volumes 120A, 120B of theload lock chambers 100A, 100B.

The system controller 744 is coupled to the cluster tool system 700. Thesystem controller 744 controls the operation of the cluster tool system700 using a direct control of the process chambers 712 or alternatively,by controlling the computers (or controllers) associated with theprocessing chambers 712 and the cluster tool system 700. In operation,the system controller 744 enables data collection and feedback from therespective chambers and system controller 744 to optimize performance ofthe cluster tool system 700. The system controller 744 generallyincludes a central processing unit (CPU) 738, a memory 740, and supportcircuit 742.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 800 for processing asubstrate according to one embodiment of the present invention. Themethod 800 may be performed in the cluster tool system 700 in FIG. 7having load lock chambers 100A, 100B with three chamber volumes. It iscontemplated that the method 800 may be performed in other suitableprocessing systems, including those from other manufacturers.

The method 800 begins at box 810 by receiving a substrate having a layerdisposed thereon from a factory interface, such as the factory interface704 in FIG. 7, in a first chamber volume of a load lock chamber coupledto the factory interface, such as the chamber volume 130A or 130B of theload lock chamber 100A or 100B.

At box 820, the first chamber volume containing the substrate may bepumped down to a vacuum level equal to that of a transfer chambercoupled to the load lock chamber. The substrate is then transferred fromthe load lock chamber to the transfer chamber. In one embodiment, thefirst chamber volume of the load lock chamber may be dedicated toprovide paths to incoming substrates only.

At box 830, the substrate is transferred to one or more processingchambers coupled to the transfer chamber for one or more processes. Theprocesses may include etching one or more films, such as a polymer film,on the substrates under a patterned mask using a halogen-containing gas.The patterned mask may include photoresist and/or hard mask. Suitableexamples of halogen-containing gas include, but not limited to, hydrogenbromide (HBr), chlorine (Cl₂), carbon tetrafluoride (CF₄), and the like.The etching processes may leave halogen containing residue on thesubstrate.

Optionally, the substrate may be transferred from the first chambervolume of the load lock chamber to a second chamber volume of the loadlock chamber through the transfer chamber for a pre-heating prior tobeing processed in the processing chambers. For example, the substratemay be transferred from the chamber volume 130 to the chamber volume 120to be pre-heated on the heated substrate support 125. In one embodiment,the substrate may be preheated to a temperature between about 20 degreesCelsius and about 400 degrees Celsius.

At box 840, after being processed in one or more processing chambersconnected to the transfer chamber, the substrate is transferred to thesecond chamber volume of the load lock chamber. The second chambervolume, such as the chamber volume 120 of the load lock chamber 100, maybe dedicated to substrate processing. Depending on processing recipe,the second chamber volume of the load lock chamber may be configured todifferent processes.

At box 850, thermal treatment process may be performed on a thesubstrate to remove the halogen-containing residues from the substrategenerated during processing of box 830 prior to exposure to atmosphericconditions in the factory interface or other locations. For example, thesubstrate may be transferred to the chamber volume 120 of the load lockchamber 100 to remove the halogen containing residues.

In one embodiment, a thermal treatment may be performed to etchedsubstrate in the second chamber volume of the load lock chamber toremove the halogen-containing residues. For example, the substrate maybe placed on the heated substrate support assembly 125 of the chambervolume 120 of the load lock chamber 100. The heated substrate supportassembly 125 heats the substrate to a temperature between about 20degrees Celsius and about 1000 degrees Celsius, such as between about150 degrees Celsius and about 300 degrees Celsius, for example about 250degrees Celsius, at between about 5 seconds and about 30 seconds. Therapid heating of the substrate by heated substrate support assembly 125allows the halogen-containing residues on the etched substrate to beremoved without increasing process cycle time which would be encounteredif the residues were removed in one of the processing chambers. In oneembodiment, the substrate may be heated by the heated substrate supportassembly 125 at a predetermined time period until the halogen-containingresidues are removed from the etched substrate.

In another embodiment, plasma of a gas mixture may be used to promotethe conversion of the halogen containing residues into non-corrosivevolatile compounds, thereby increasing the removal efficiency of thehalogen-containing residues from the etched substrate surface. The gasmixture may include an oxygen-containing gas, such as O₂, O₃, watervapor (H₂O), a hydrogen-containing gas, such as _(H2), forming gas,water vapor (H₂O), alkanes, alkenes, and the like, or an inert gas, suchas a nitrogen gas (N₂), argon (Ar), helium (He), and the like. Forexample, the gas mixture may include oxygen, nitrogen, and ahydrogen-containing gas. In one embodiment, the hydrogen-containing gasis at least one of hydrogen (H₂) and water vapor (H₂O).

In another embodiment, the thermal treatment process may be in the formof an ashing process performed in a chamber volume of the load lockchamber after the substrate being etched in the cluster tool system toremove the mask layers or a photoresist layer from the substrate. Duringan ashing process, an oxygen-based plasma may be supplied to the chambervolume of the load lock chamber while the temperature of the substratemay be maintained at 15 to 300 degrees Celsius. Various oxidizing gasescan be used including, but not limited to, O₂ O₃, N₂O, H₂O, CO, CO₂,alcohols, and various combinations of these gases. In other embodimentsof the invention, nonoxidizing gases may be used including, but notlimited to, N₂, H₂O, H₂, forming gas, NH₃, CH₄, C₂H₆, varioushalogenated gases (CF₄, NF₃, C₂F₆, C₄F₈, CH₃F, CH₂F₂, CHF₃),combinations of these gases and the like. In another embodiment, maskand/or photoresist layer may be stripped simultaneously at box 850.

At box 860, the substrate may be transferred from the second chambervolume of the load lock chamber to a third chamber volume of the loadlock chamber through the transfer chamber. The third chamber volume ofthe load lock chamber may be dedicated to provide path to outgoingsubstrates. The third chamber volume may be chamber volume 140 of theload lock chamber 100.

At box 870, the substrate is cooled in the third chamber volume of theload lock chamber. The substrate may be lowered to a cooled substratesupport assembly, such as the cooled substrate support assembly 152 ofthe load lock chamber 100, for cooling.

At box 880, the third chamber volume is vented to atmosphere pressureand the cooled substrate is returned to the factory interface. Since thesubstrate is cooled prior to exposing to atmosphere, undesirablereactions, such as silicon oxidation, are reduced.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 900 for processing asubstrate according to another embodiment of the present invention. Themethod 900 is similar to the method 800, except the method 900 isperformed in a cluster tool having load lock chambers with two chambervolumes, such as load lock chambers 300, 400 described above.

At box 910, a substrate having a layer disposed thereon is transferredfrom a factory interface, such as the factory interface 704 in FIG. 7,to a first chamber volume of a load lock chamber coupled to the factoryinterface. In one embodiment, when the load lock chamber 300 is used,the substrate may be transferred to the chamber volume 140 so that thechamber volume 120 can be dedicated to processing substrates. In anotherembodiment, when the load lock chamber 400 is used, the substrate may betransferred to the substrate supporting shelf 454 of the chamber volume430.

At box 920, the first chamber volume containing the substrate may bepumped down to a vacuum level equal to that of a transfer chambercoupled to the load lock chamber. The substrate is then transferred fromthe load lock chamber to the transfer chamber.

At box 930, similar to the box 830 of the method 800, the substrate istransferred to one or more processing chambers coupled to the transferchamber for one or more processes. The processes may include etching oneor more films, such as a polymer film, on the substrates under apatterned mask using a halogen-containing gas.

At box 940, after being processed in one or more processing chambersconnected to the transfer chamber, the substrate is transferred to thesecond chamber volume of the load lock chamber to remove residues and/orhard mask or photoresist. The second chamber volume, such as the chambervolume 120 of the load lock chamber 300 or the load lock chamber 400,may be dedicated to substrate processing. Depending on the processrecipe, the second chamber volume of the load lock chamber may beconfigured to different processes. Similar to the processes described atbox 850, a stripping process, an ashing process, or both stripping andashing processes may be performed to the substrate to remove any desiredcombination of the halogen-containing residues, hard mask, andphotoresist.

At box 950, the substrate may be transferred from the second chambervolume of the load lock chamber back to the chamber volume of the loadlock chamber through the transfer chamber to be cooled.

At box 960, the substrate is cooled in the first chamber volume of theload lock chamber. The substrate may be lowered to a cooled substratesupport assembly, such as the cooled substrate support assembly 152 ofthe load lock chamber 300 or 400, for cooling.

At box 970, the first chamber volume is vented to atmosphere pressureand the cooled substrate is returned to the factory interface.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention,other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised withoutdeparting from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof isdetermined by the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A load lock chamber, comprising: a chamber bodyassembly comprising a chamber lid, a pair of sidewalls, a bottom walland an interior wall spanning the sidewalls and defining a first chambervolume and a second chamber volume fluidly isolated from one another bythe interior wall, wherein the first chamber volume is selectivelyconnectable to two environments through two openings configured forsubstrate transferring, and the second chamber volume is selectivelyconnectable to the two environments through a second two openingsconfigured for substrate transferring; a cooled substrate supportassembly bounding a portion of the first chamber volume, the coolingsubstrate support assembly comprising: a disk shaped body having anupper portion disposed within the bottom wall, the upper portion havinga substrate support surface configured to support a substrate thereonwithin the first chamber volume, the disk shaped body having a lowerportion disposed underlying the bottom wall, and a plurality of coolingchannels disposed within the upper portion of disk shaped body, and alift pin assembly comprising a plurality of lift pins located within ahousing below the first chamber volume and extending between the coolingchannels into the first chamber volume, the lift pins configured to liftthe substrate from the substrate support surface.
 2. The load lockchamber of claim 1, wherein the lift pin assembly is movable relative tothe cooled substrate support assembly, wherein the lift pin assembly isfurther configured to transfer the substrate between the cooledsubstrate support assembly and an external substrate handling device. 3.The load lock chamber of claim 2, wherein the chamber body assemblyfurther defines a third chamber volume selectively connectable to thetwo environments through two openings, and the second chamber volume isvertically stacked between the first and second chamber volumes.
 4. Theload lock chamber of claim 3, further comprising a substrate supportassembly disposed in the third chamber volume.
 5. The load lock chamberof claim 4, wherein the second chamber volume only has one openingconfigured to selectively connect the second chamber volume to one ofthe two environments.
 6. The load lock chamber of claim 2, furthercomprising a substrate supporting shelf movably disposed above thecooled substrate support assembly in the first chamber volume.
 7. Theload lock chamber of claim 6, further comprising a lift assemblyconfigured to the lift pin assembly and the substrate supporting shelfsimultaneously.
 8. The load lock chamber of claim 7, wherein the liftassembly comprises: a shaft adapted to be rotated by a motor; a firstthreaded member coupled between the shaft and the lift pin assembly; anda second threaded member coupled between the shaft and the substratesupporting shelf, wherein rotation of the shaft moves the first andsecond threaded members vertically.
 9. The load lock chamber of claim 8,wherein the lift assembly moves the substrate supporting shelf and thelift pin assembly at different speeds.
 10. The load lock chamber ofclaim 8, wherein the substrate supporting shelf comprises: a ring; and apost attached to the ring, wherein the post is coupled to the secondthreaded member.
 11. The load lock chamber of claim 1, furthercomprising: a first vacuum pump connected to the first chamber volume;and a second vacuum pump connected to the second chamber volume, whereinthe first and second vacuum pump control pressures in the first andsecond chamber volumes independently.
 12. The load lock chamber of claim3, further comprising: a first vacuum pump selectively connected to thefirst chamber volume and the third chamber volume; and a second vacuumpump connected to the second chamber volume.
 13. The load lock chamberof claim 4, wherein the substrate support assembly comprises three ormore substrate support pins.
 14. The load lock chamber of claim 1,further comprising a thermal insulator disposed within the secondchamber volume between the heated substrate support and the chamberbody, wherein the heated substrate support assembly does not directlycontact the chamber body.
 15. A dual load lock chamber, comprising: aremote plasma source; a first load lock chamber and a second load lockchamber disposed side by side in a unitary chamber body assembly,wherein each of the first load lock chamber and second load lock chambercomprises: a lid, an outer sidewall, a bottom wall, an inner sidewallshared between the first load lock chamber and the second load lockchamber, and an interior wall spanning the inner sidewall and the sharedsidewall and defining a first chamber volume and a second chamber volumefluidly isolated from one another by the interior wall, wherein thesecond chamber volume overlays the first chamber volume, wherein thefirst chamber volume is selectively connectable to two environmentsthrough two openings configured for substrate transferring, and thesecond chamber volume is selectively connectable to the two environmentsthrough a second two openings configured for substrate; a cooledsubstrate support assembly bounding a portion of the first chambervolume, the cooling substrate support assembly comprising: a disk shapedbody having an upper portion disposed within the bottom wall, the upperportion having a substrate support surface a configured to support asubstrate thereon within the first chamber volume, the disk shaped bodyhaving a lower portion disposed underlying the bottom wall, and aplurality of cooling channels disposed within the upper portion of diskshaped body; and a lift pin assembly comprising a plurality of lift pinslocated within the housing below the first chamber volume and extendingbetween the cooling channels into the first chamber volume, the liftpins configured to lift the substrate from the substrate supportsurface.
 16. The dual load lock chamber of claim 15, wherein each of thefirst and second load lock chambers has a third chamber volumeselectively connectable to the two environments through two openings,and the second chamber volume is vertically stacked between the firstand second chamber volumes.
 17. The dual load lock chamber of claim 15,wherein each of the first and second load lock chambers furthercomprises a substrate supporting shelf movably disposed above the cooledsubstrate support in the first chamber volume.
 18. The dual load lockchamber of claim 16, further comprising a vacuum pump coupled to thesecond chamber volumes and the third chamber volumes of the first andsecond load lock chambers.
 19. The load lock chamber of claim 1, whereinthe lift pin assembly further comprises a lift pin actuator coupled tothe lift pins and the disk shaped body attached to the lift pin actuatorthat includes the cooling channels and is inserted into an opening at abottom of the housing, wherein the lift pin actuator is configured tolift the lift pins to lift the substrate from the substrate supportsurface.
 20. The dual load lock chamber of claim 15, wherein the liftpin assembly further comprises a lift pin actuator coupled to the liftpins and the disk shaped body attached to the lift pin actuator thatincludes the cooling channels and is inserted into an opening at abottom of the housing, wherein the lift pin actuator is configured tolift the lift pins to lift the substrate from the substrate supportsurface.